logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
20m 25s

Day 118: King Saul Despairs (2025)

ASCENSION
About this episode

Fr. Mike reflects on King Saul's despair in the face of trial, and how he seeks other means of comfort when he feels like God has abandoned him. God never abandons us, especially in the midst of danger. Fr. Mike invites us to place our trust in God's promise, instead of resorting to sinful acts. Today's readings are 1 Samuel 27-28 and Psalm 34.

For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear.

Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Support The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

Up next
Today
Day 36: Manna from Heaven (2026)
Fr. Mike talks about how God trains the Israelites to trust him in the wilderness, and how we can grow in our own faithfulness to the Lord. Today we read Exodus 15-16, Leviticus 11, and Psalm 71. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: T ... Show More
22m 5s
Yesterday
Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea (2026)
Fr. Mike explains how all the rules of worship in Leviticus 10 point to the reality that God is holy. We also continue journeying through Exodus 13-14 and Psalm 53 and learn how God fought for the salvation for his people through the crossing of the red sea. For the complete read ... Show More
18m 7s
Feb 3
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2026)
Today we discover how the Passover foreshadows the sacrifice of Jesus and how the people of Israel are transformed by God in the readings from Exodus 12, Leviticus 9, and Psalm 114. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible conta ... Show More
24m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2025
Chapter 22: The Worshipful Warrior
Chapter 22 of Heroes in the Bible: David with Dr. Tony Evans is inspired by 2 Samuel 8-10. The Worshipful Warrior - David is not like other kings. His warfare is not for his own glory, and his heart’s calling is not bloodshed. His desire is to worship his God. ~18 pages Today's o ... Show More
52m 26s
Sep 2025
Can Serious Christians Be Depressed? | Historical Books | 1 Kings 19:1-18
Can serious Christians be depressed? Is it okay to not be okay? How does God treat his people's frustrations? In today's episode, Keith shares how 1 Kings 19:1-18 reminds us of God's love and care for those who are struggling. If you're listening on Spotify, tell us about yoursel ... Show More
14m 51s
Jun 2024
Solomon's God Given Wisdom - The Books of 1 Kings & 2 Chronicles
In this Bible Story, we peer into the dreams of Solomon where God asks him to request anything and it would be given. Solomon asked for wisdom and a kind heart to lead his people. God grants this to Solomon, and gives him more than he could have ever asked for. This story is insp ... Show More
14m 43s
Sep 2025
Why Prayer Works (Mark 9:24)
Today’s Bible Verse:"Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’" — Mark 9:24 Mark 9:24 captures one of the most relatable prayers in all of Scripture. The desperate father believed Jesus could heal his son, yet he also admitted his strug ... Show More
8m 49s
Oct 2025
Lust: The Case of Joseph
<p>Joseph’s career was going along fairly well. He’d risen from servanthood to becoming, in a sense, the Chief Operating Officer of a huge estate. And then sex came. He wasn’t even looking for it, but it came at him.</p> <p>Things may be going very well for you, but sex will come ... Show More
39m 13s
Jun 2022
How Can Parents Deal with the Difficult Parts of Scripture? – Episode 32
Catherine continues in her series on dealing with difficult parts of Scripture with installment two. In this episode, Catherine applies the practical guidelines that she gave in episode 31 to a difficult story from the Bible that led a young college-age Christian to abandon his f ... Show More
26m 34s
Aug 2025
The Three Wise Men - The Gospels
In this Bible Story, the baby Jesus is visited by three wise men. Herod, the evil king of the Jews, gets word that there was a new child born by prophecy. Seeing Jesus as a threat to his power, he has every child under the age of two killed. But Joseph had his family flee just in ... Show More
13m 25s
Sep 2025
Jesus Our King
<p>The context of Psalm 2 is that the king has been installed in Jerusalem, but all the foreign kings are hostile and conspiring against this king. If you read it carefully, you’ll see that no earthly king can completely justify the fury of the threats, and no earthly king can co ... Show More
44m 6s
Feb 2020
David Helm on Teaching Habakkuk
Habakkuk had some significant questions for God. And God’s answers were hard to hear. But God told Habakkuk to write down what God was showing him because future generations would need to hear it. We need to hear it. Those we teach need to hear it.In this episode of Help Me Teach ... Show More
59m 18s
Sep 2025
Flipping Tables and Eternal Life - The Gospels
In this Bible Story, we witness the righteous anger of Jesus. During the Passover, corrupt money-changers and religious leaders exploit people’s desire to worship. So Jesus fashions a whip and drives them out. This story is inspired by John 2:13-23, John 3: 1-21, Numbers 21:4-9. ... Show More
18m 11s